


Three Makes a Crowd

by undying_lilies



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Honker and Launchpad being nerds together, Post-Episode: s03e12 Let's Get Dangerous!, Uncle Launchpad, Wholesome Angst, canon compliant (sort of), just an excuse to put Honker in the DT17 universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27553369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undying_lilies/pseuds/undying_lilies
Summary: After an argument between Drake and Gosalyn, Launchpad convinces Gos to take a walk around St. Canard. They never thought they'd be rescuing a die-hard Darkwing Duck fan from an alleyway trash can, though.
Relationships: Drake Mallard & Gosalyn Mallard, Gosalyn Mallard & Honker Muddlefoot, Gosalyn Mallard & Launchpad McQuack, Honker Muddlefoot & Launchpad McQuack
Comments: 9
Kudos: 46





	Three Makes a Crowd

Drake sat in the computer chair, facing W.A.N.D.A. and strumming his fingers nervously on the massive keyboard in front of him. Gosalyn would be here any minute, but to say he wasn’t dreading that minute would be a lie - she’d almost fallen off one too many buildings last night, and while Drake had saved her every time . . . it hadn’t not scared him.

Suddenly the door to the Darkwing Lair burst open with a  _ slam. _ It nearly gave Drake a heart attack - but when he swiveled around in the chair, his gaze settled upon a very hyper Gosalyn, running in place in front of him.

“Gosalyn Waddlemeyer here, reporting for duty!” Gosalyn declared, saluting Drake. “What’s our plan of action tonight, Drake? Protect the city from that steel beak guy who beat you up?” She gasped. “Go and  _ find _ the guy who beat you up and then beat  _ him  _ up?”

“What?” Drake blinked. “No, none of that.” 

“So what are we doing?” Gosalyn asked excitedly. 

Drake heaved a sigh and got to his feet, coming to a stop before her. “Listen,” he began. “I was thinking -” 

The door slammed open again - this time it was Launchpad. “Hey guys!” he announced. 

“Launchpad!” Gosalyn ran over to him, and he immediately picked her up and set her on his shoulder. “Everyone’s here! Okay, Drake, what are we doing tonight?” 

Drake rubbed his neck. “Listen, kid -” He hesitated. 

Gosalyn gestured for him to go on. “Anytime now.” 

“Last night -” This was harder than he’d thought. “You weren’t exactly . . . safe last night.”

“Aw, c’mon.” Gosalyn waved that away. “I only nearly fell off buildings twice.”

“That’s the problem,” Drake said firmly. “That’s  _ twice _ you almost fell off buildings. And that was only last night - you’ve been  _ nearly _ falling off buildings way too many times recently. So I think - for tonight -” He paused, and then he nodded. Mostly to himself. “For tonight I want to patrol by myself.”

There was an uncomfortable beat of silence. 

“. . . what?” Gosalyn stared at Drake. “You mean I can’t -”

“I don’t want to ban you from fighting crime with me, but, Gosalyn - you  _ need _ to be a little safer,” Drake said.

“Look who’s talking,” the computer chirped. 

“That’s different!” Drake exploded. “I’m an  _ adult _ \- Gosalyn’s a  _ kid!” _

“That doesn’t mean I can’t fight crime!” Gosalyn cried. She scrambled down from her spot on Launchpad’s shoulders and pointed at Drake.  _ “You _ just want to get rid of me.”

“Wh - I don’t want to get  _ rid  _ of you!” Drake raised his hands in defense. “You just need to be more careful, that’s all!”

“You’re sounding a lot like every other adult in my life,” Gosalyn muttered, crossing her arms. 

“It’s for your own good!” Drake crossed  _ his _ arms, too. “You’re being a little overdramatic.”

“LOOK WHO’S TALKING!” Gosalyn shouted, echoing W.A.N.D.A.  _ “You’re _ the one always being overdramatic!” 

“I just want to KEEP YOU SAFE!” Drake shouted back. “What if you  _ actually _ fell off those buildings? What if you  _ died?”  _

Gosalyn stopped, her eyes widening. 

“So you’re  _ not _ going crime-fighting with me tonight and that’s  _ final.” _ Drake turned around, facing W.A.N.D.A. “Launchpad, you’re in charge of her while I’m gone.”

He didn’t say anything. For a few moments, heavy silence hung in the lair. Then he heard footsteps running up the stairs to the balcony, and in the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red hair and a green jacket. 

He turned around and made eye contact with Launchpad. “Was - I too hard on her?”

“I mean . . .” Launchpad said slowly. “She  _ did _ almost fall off stuff.”

“It’s just -” He bit his tongue. “I don’t want her to fall off a building because - because I couldn’t save her that time.” There it was - his worst fears, laid out on the table in front of him. “I know she’s not my responsibility but . . . I feel like she is. Like I’m  _ supposed _ to take care of her.”

“If it were up to me, I say you both need it.”

Drake was silent.

“You need to protect someone, and she needs to be protected. Not all the time.” Launchpad put a hand on Drake’s shoulder. “But some of the time.”

Drake turned around, Launchpad’s hand falling off his shoulder as Drake pressed a key on the keyboard. “W.A.N.D.A., search St. Canard for crime.”

“A simple  _ please _ would be nice,” the computer said scornfully, but it scanned the city nevertheless. “There’s a jewelry store robbery downtown. Wonder how the mayor missed  _ that.” _

Drake headed over to the mannequin that held his Darkwing uniform, grabbed his hat and mask and suit, and went into the bathroom to change. As he got ready to leave the lair, he glanced back at Gosalyn - sitting by the window, her favorite spot to visit whenever she got upset - and wanted to say something,  _ anything _ to make her feel better.

But he couldn’t think of anything.

So he left the lair in silence.

~

As the single-most important person in an adventure family - the uncle, of course - Launchpad decided to find something to cheer Gosalyn up. 

It wasn’t easy. First he tried making pancakes - “Uncle Launchpad made pancakes!” he declared, looking at Gosalyn. But she just pulled her hood over her head and inched away from him.

Next he tried to get her to read some of Drake’s old Darkwing Adventure comics. Surely  _ that _ would’ve worked. But Gosalyn pushed those away, too, and wouldn’t even look at them. 

“This is hard,” Launchpad said to himself, after a failed attempt of  _ trying _ to let Gosalyn make a target and practice her crossbow skills  _ inside _ the lair (something Drake would never ever let her do). “What would Dewey do?”

Dewey would . . . make a target and practice his crossbow skills inside the lair when Drake wasn’t around. 

But that obviously wasn’t working, and Launchpad was starting to run out of ideas. 

After at least forty-five minutes of Gosalyn staring out at St. Canard from her designated window spot, Launchpad figured he better do something quick. Otherwise she might be mad enough at Drake where she’d drop out of the Adventure Family and that  _ couldn’t _ happen. Launchpad was sure of it.

So finally he climbed up the stairs to the balcony and announced, “Uncle Launchpad says we’re going on a walk!” 

“What if you don’t care what Uncle Launchpad says?” Gosalyn muttered, not moving. 

“Then Uncle Launchpad doesn’t think very highly of you,” Launchpad joked. 

Silence. 

“Aw, c’mon.” He nudged her shoulder. “A walk around the city will be nice and calming. A perfect break from crime fighting.”

“But I don’t  _ want _ to take a break from crime fighting!” Gosalyn shot. 

“Drake seems to think you do.”

“Drake doesn’t know what I want.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not going on your stupid walk.”

“Too late.” Launchpad picked up Gosalyn, much to her surprise and getting a  _ “hey!” _ from her, and set her on his shoulders for the second time that evening. “We’re going on a walk!”

Gosalyn hopped down from his shoulders and stuck her hands in her pockets.  _ “Fine,” _ she said. “I’ll go on your walk.”

“Woo-hoo!” Launchpad cheered. “Maybe we’ll get to stop at Hamburger Hippo’s! Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

“Sure, whatever.” Gosalyn made her way down the stairs. “Let’s just go.”

~

Gosalyn kept her hood up as they walked through the dim-lit streets of St. Canard. This wasn’t what she needed - couldn’t Drake  _ see _ that? She  _ needed _ to fight crime and she  _ needed _ to perfect her crime-fighting skills! But Drake was too overprotective of her and she wasn’t even related to him. If you asked her,  _ he _ was the one being overdramatic. 

She didn’t say anything for a while on the walk - she just fumed about how unfair Drake had been and how she just wanted to sulk by herself until he got back to the lair. 

_ Then what would you do? _ she asked herself.

Confront him again. Obviously. Either that or she’d leave as quickly as she could after this stupid walk. 

“So,” Launchpad said, finally breaking the silence. “Hamburger Hippo’s? Yay or nay?”

“Nay,” Gosalyn muttered. 

“What? You love Hamburger Hippo’s.”

“Not tonight I don’t.”

Launchpad patted her head. “You can talk to Uncle Launchpad about anything, you know.” 

There was a beat of silence.

Then Gosalyn kicked a pebble on the sidewalk. “He’s being too paranoid,” she said. “I can handle myself - I only  _ almost _ fell off a building  _ twice _ last night! Only twice! And now I’m banned from crime-fighting!”

“He wants to protect you,” Launchpad said simply. 

“Along with everyone else I’ve met. I’m  _ not _ a weak little girl.”

“Yeah, and he sees that. But he also thinks you just need . . . a family.” He brightened. “An Adventure Family!”

“I’m already looking for my family. Don’t need another one.” She kicked another rock that flew several feet ahead of her. “But Drake doesn’t realize that.”

“He does,” said Launchpad. “But I think he wants to make you more at home.”

_ Home? _ Gosalyn almost laughed - her home had been a lab that had been reduced to half-rubble for more than a month by now. But she just kicked her rock harder and watched as it flew into a gutter this time. 

She sighed and adjusted her hood. “Well, my  _ home _ is now half-destroyed. We lived at Bulba’s lab for most of my life. For  _ all _ of my life.” 

There was a beat of silence, and neither of the two said anything. To her surprise and disappointment, her anger at Drake was already starting to fade away. He . . . he  _ was _ being reasonable. As much as she hated to admit it. Nearly falling off of buildings twice was too many times. Nearly falling off a building  _ once _ was already one too many times.

Gosalyn slowed down and bit the inside of her cheek. Maybe she did need this break. 

“He was right,” she said quietly.

Launchpad stopped. “Huh?”

Gosalyn stopped walking, too. “I think . . . I think Drake was right,” she admitted. “No one should nearly fall to their death even once and I’ve done it too many times.” Her heart sank. “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this superhero stuff.”

“What?  _ No,” _ Launchpad said incredulously. “Of course you’re cut out for it! You just got too close to the edge of a few buildings, that’s all.  _ You _ were the one who stopped the . . . you know.” 

Destroying the RAMROD was still painful for Gosalyn to remember, so she appreciated Launchpad avoiding its name. “I guess,” she said slowly. 

“And you’re not going to give up on finding your grandpa, are you?”

“No!” Gosalyn cried out. “I’m still trying to find him! You and Drake are helping me, so I get to . . .” Realization dawned on her face. “So I get to fight crime.” 

She looked up at Launchpad. “You guys are helping  _ me _ and I’m helping  _ you! _ It cancels out!” Her face broke into a grin, and she pushed back her hood so that it fell off her head and then started climbing up Launchpad. Once she was sitting on his shoulders, she rested her arms on his head. “Thanks, LP.”

“Anytime!” Launchpad paused. “So about that Hamburger Hippo’s . . .”

“I changed my mind!” Gosalyn declared. “To Hamburger Hippo’s!”

“Yeah!” Launchpad cheered. “I knew you’d come around!”

As Launchpad started walking again, Gosalyn smiled to herself and figured that maybe this walk  _ was _ what she needed. Good thing she’d listened to Uncle Launchpad, then. 

Several minutes passed and the two were deep in a conversation - about whether or not Drake  _ would _ actually allow Gosalyn to practice her crossbow skills inside the lair; Gosalyn said no and Launchpad said yes, if Drake was convinced enough - when a flurry of movement in the corner of Gosalyn’s eye captured her attention. 

“Launchpad, stop,” she said suddenly.

He did, and she craned her neck in the direction of the movement. They had passed an alleyway just mere seconds ago and she could make out . . . a flash of yellow where she hadn’t seen it before. 

Quickly she scrambled down from Launchpad’s shoulders and turned around, hurrying over to the alleyway. Her heart thumped with adrenaline. Was it a thief? A villain? Would she and Launchpad have to defend themselves? Why hadn’t Drake taken the evening off and gone on the walk with them??

She slowly inched her way towards the alleyway. 

“Did you see something?” Launchpad asked, joining her.

Gosalyn squinted amidst the dark shadows and the few trash cans littering the alley. “I thought I saw . . . something yellow,” she said. 

“One of the streetlights?” 

“Maybe.” She paused. “I think it was too yellow for it to be a -”

_ CRASH. _ Something fell into one of the trash cans, startling Launchpad and Gosalyn. They shared a look before running over to the trash can. 

“What’s in there?” Gosalyn climbed up onto Launchpad’s shoulders again as he lifted the trash can lid. “A villain? A burglar? Dang it, where’s Drake when we -”

“I’m not a villain!” a voice squeaked from the trash can.

Gosalyn peered inside. 

Instead of a vile villain or a barbaric burglar or anything like that, lying inside the trash can was a yellow-feathered duck with red, round glasses and a green button-up shirt. 

“Oh.” Gosalyn blinked. “We thought you were a villain.”

“I’m not, promise!” The duck sat up and scooted away from Launchpad and Gosalyn as best he could. “Don’t hurt me!”

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Launchpad said. He reached out a hand. “Here, I’ll pull you out.” 

“How can I know  _ you _ aren’t villains?” the duck demanded, his voice squeaking again. 

“We’re . . . not?” Launchpad sounded confused.

“Why were you snooping around the city  _ at night, _ then?” 

“Dude, we were taking a walk.” Gosalyn snorted. “Just take his hand.”

The duck stared at Launchpad’s outstretched hand for a minute. Then, after mumbling something about this being “against my better judgement”, he took the hand and was pulled out of the trash can. 

As soon as his flippers touched the ground again, he started dusting himself off and checking to see if his backpack was still on his back (which it was). Then, after a few minutes, he finally stared back up at Launchpad and Gosalyn.

Gosalyn hopped down from Launchpad’s shoulders. “Now that we’re apparently playing Twenty Questions, your turn.” She pointed at the duck, startling him. “What were  _ you _ doing in an alley at night?”

The duck wrung his hands. “You sure you won’t hurt me?”

“Do we look like we’ll hurt you?” Gosalyn raised an eyebrow. 

The duck eyed her and then Launchpad. 

“Yes,” he said firmly, his voice shaking a bit.

“I guess that’s fair.” Gosalyn couldn’t resist smirking. “Just goes to show when you fight crime with the superhero of St. Canard. Don’t worry, I’ve chosen to spare you and he won’t hurt a fly.” She gestured to Launchpad, who waved. 

The duck’s beak fell open and his eyes went wide. “S-superhero of St. Canard?” he stammered. “You mean  _ Darkwing Duck? _ You’re his SIDEKICKS?!”

“Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, pleased to meet you.” She smiled widely, sticking her hands in her jacket pockets. “That’s Launchpad McQuack. And you are?” 

“You mean I got saved from a trash can by  _ Darkwing Duck’s sidekicks?” _ The duck started bouncing up and down from excitement. “Wow, I’m a huge fan! Do you fight villains like from the old TV show? Are your real-life villains even  _ cooler _ than they were? Hey, wait, why aren’t you with Darkwing Duck right now?”

Launchpad gasped. “You watched the old TV show?”

“We fought the villains from the show once before, not really, and we’re taking a break from crime-fighting tonight.” Gosalyn numbered the duck’s questions off on her fingers. “Now who are you?” 

“You mean like the actors?” The duck’s brow furrowed.

“Nope,” said Gosalyn. “There was this whole thing with an interdimensional portal and some group of villains called the ‘Fearsome Four’. A houseplant, a cup of water, a clown, and . . . some guy obsessed with lightbulbs.” She shrugged. “Launchpad knows more about it than I do.”

“Bushroot, Liquidator, Quackerjack, and Megavolt?” The duck looked like he could hardly believe it. “Holy  _ moly! _ And I thought you guys were already cool!”

“It was awesome!” Launchpad exclaimed. “We got beat up by the Liquidator and were chased by Quackerjack’s giant robot!”

_ “Really?” _ the duck gasped. 

“Yeah, it was all over the news,” Gosalyn said. “Why didn’t you hear about it?”

“Oh, uh - my family moved here this month.” The duck shuffled his flippers around. “We must’ve just missed the news.”

“Cool cool - now  _ what,” _ Gosalyn interrupted, laying on emphasis on her next few words,  _ “is your name?” _

“Oh! Sorry.” The duck blushed and grabbed Gosalyn’s hand, shaking it wildly. “Honker Muddlefoot, very excited to meet you! You wouldn’t happen to be Darkwing Duck’s daughter, would you?”

“What? No.” Gosalyn jerked her hand from Honker’s grasp and stuck it back into her pocket. “I’m his crime-fighting partner.”

“But you’re a kid.” Honker tilted his head.

_ “So?” _

“Sorry!” Honker squeaked, raising his hands in defense. “I thought the superhero thing was a - a family business or something.”

“We’re an Adventure Family business,” Launchpad informed him. 

“So, uh - Honker,” Gosalyn said, eyeing him, “what  _ were _ you doing out here? At night?” 

“Oh, um -” Honker glanced at the ground. “I was - trying to meet Darkwing Duck.”

Gosalyn raised an eyebrow. She sometimes forgot that Drake was, in fact, a famous-ish superhero and not just the dorky nerd she knew. 

“Well, you’re in luck!” Gosalyn grinned. “Now that you’re friends with his sidekicks, we can take you to meet him.”

Honker’s eyes grew so wide Gosalyn was convinced they were the size of teacup plates. 

“A-are we friends now?” he said tentatively. “Does you rescuing me from a trash can count as us being friends?” 

“Absolutely!” Launchpad cut in. “I met one of my best friends by defeating a giant gold dragon. And another by trapping myself in his trailer. And Gosalyn when she was sneaking into a lab. Oh, and -”

_ “The point is,” _ Gosalyn interrupted, before he could go on, “I’d say we’re friends. We were headed over to Hamburger Hippo’s, by the way - want to join us?”

“And then meet Darkwing Duck?” Honker said hopefully.

Gosalyn grinned. “What do you think?”

“Sweet!” Honker exclaimed. “Just let me call my parents and make sure it’s fine with them - uh, hold on, my phone’s in here somewhere -”

He pulled his phone out from his backpack, typed a number into it, and turned around, holding the phone up to his ear. Gosalyn started inspecting the ground as she overheard Honker’s call. 

“Hi, uh, Mom?” Honker cleared his throat. “Is it okay if I go out with some friends to Hamburger Hippo’s? . . . oh, I just met them today! And - mhm, okay - they’re, um -” He lowered the phone and glanced back at Gosalyn. “What were your names again?”

“Gosalyn.” Gosalyn smiled.

“I’m Launchpad!” Launchpad said.

Honker turned back to his phone. “- they’re Gosalyn and Launchpad. So is it - really?” He brightened. “Thank you, Mom! See you later!”

He hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. “I can go with you guys!” Honker cheered. “I just have to be back by at least ten o’clock. Do you think Darkwing Duck’s finished by then?”

Gosalyn checked the time on her phone and grimaced - it was almost nine o’clock. “Uh, yeah, we’ll try. If not, we can, you know, try again some other time. So anyway - Hamburger Hippo’s?”

“Yeah!” Launchpad and Honker both cheered. Gosalyn grinned and spun around on her heel, starting to lead the trio out of the alleyway. 

One excited walk later - where Honker and Launchpad wouldn’t stop talking about the old Darkwing Duck show - Gosalyn found herself sitting at a Hamburger Hippo’s, happily munching away on a hamburger. Either she was just hungry or a late-night hamburger had just never tasted so  _ good. _

She glanced up at Launchpad, finding him in the middle of an animated conversation with Honker about whether or not Bushroot had actually been a villain in the old show. She snorted -  _ nerds, _ she wanted to say, but instead she took another bite of her burger.

“. . . what about you, Gosalyn?”

Gosalyn glanced up, in the middle of chewing her bite. Honker and Launchpad were staring expectantly at her.

“What about what?” she asked through a mouthful of food.

“Have you ever seen the old Darkwing Duck show?” Honker said excitedly. 

Gosalyn swallowed her hamburger bite and shrugged. “Nah,” she said. “Between fighting crime and doing schoolwork I don’t exactly have time to watch stuff.”

Launchpad and Honker’s jaws fell open.

“You  _ haven’t?” _ Honker cried.

_ “What?” _ Launchpad said incredulously. “How have I known you for this long and never  _ known  _ that?”

“But you’re one of his sidekicks!”

“Just because I’m one of Darkwing Duck’s sidekicks doesn’t mean I’m a nerd.” Gosalyn took a sip of her milkshake. 

Launchpad slammed a fist on the table - Honker and Gosalyn jumped. “That is unacceptable,” he said, standing up. “We must teach Gosalyn the ways of the terror that flaps in the night - the ways of, uh -”

“The rock that gets stuck in your sandal!” Honker supplied.

“- the ways of  _ Darkwing Duck!” _ Launchpad said triumphantly. 

“I already know enough!” Gosalyn insisted. “What’s the clown’s name? Megavolt?”

Honker shrunk away in horror. “That’s  _ Quackerjack.” _

“All the more reason to teach you!” Launchpad declared. “Hold onto your burgers, kids - Uncle Launchpad is going to make you a fan of Darkwing Duck!”

“Do I have a choice?” Gosalyn raised an eyebrow.

“Whether you like it or not!” Launchpad finished.

Gosalyn gave a good-humored shrug. “Guess not.” 

~

Drake stretched his back, rubbing his eyes from an exhausting night of crime-fighting. Sure, there weren’t many crimes in St. Canard anymore, but that jewelry store robbery had been . . . something. A group that called themselves the Beagle Boys, apparently here all the way from Duckburg. 

He’d taken care of them, of course. His one-liner may have been a  _ bit _ off - the best he’d been able to come up with was something about cats waking up at three A.M. - which was not his best moment by a long shot.

His heart sank as he stopped before the entrance to the Darkwing Lair. Any moment now he was going to open this door to find Gosalyn sulking by her window and . . . Launchpad obliviously annoying W.A.N.D.A. He hated it when he and Gos were fighting - but he  _ had _ been trying to protect her. Everything would work out.

Right? 

Taking a deep breath, Drake pushed open the door. 

And the old Darkwing Duck show was playing on the big computer. 

He blinked, surprised. Then he spotted Launchpad, Gosalyn, and . . . a yellow-feathered duck he didn’t know all sitting in front of the computer; they must’ve pulled one of the sofas from the sitting area over to W.A.N.D.A. All three were heavily invested in the show - Gosalyn was even shouting something like “Yeah, Darkwing, get him!” and Drake would’ve been, too, if the change of the mood hadn’t surprised him.

He closed the door to the lair and joined the three just behind the sofa. “What’s this?” 

“Darkwing!” Launchpad glanced at the superhero and grinned. “Gosalyn’s never seen the old Darkwing show before, so we’re watching it!”

_ “Darkwing Duck?” _ the yellow-feathered duck screeched, immediately spinning around on the couch. Gosalyn grinned and turned around, too. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir! I have tons of questions -”

Drake turned to Gosalyn and Launchpad, arching an eyebrow. “Who’s this?”

“Honker,” Gosalyn said simply, as if it answered everything. 

“We rescued him from a trash can!” Launchpad said.

“I met your sidekicks and they said I could meet you,” the duck - Honker - said. “Who set you up with that  _ computer?” _

Drake grinned. “A sensational scientist who’s better off designing things like W.A.N.D.A. than he is making gadgets for that  _ hack, _ Gizmoduck.” He folded his arms. “Good to know he can’t stand him, either.”

He didn’t catch Launchpad sucking in a deep breath. 

“He’s a fan of yours, so we invited him to meet you,” Gosalyn said. 

The Darkwing episode disappeared, replaced with W.A.N.D.A.’s usual background. “He’s quite flattering,” the computer interjected. “Seemed real amazed at how I work.”

“Aw, man,” Launchpad mourned. “The episode’s gone.”

“I got this.” Gosalyn cleared her throat. “W.A.N.D.A., bring up that Darkwing episode again. Same spot we left off.”

“Please?” Honker added.

_ “Thank _ you,” W.A.N.D.A. said, almost in relief, and the background flickered back to the Darkwing episode that had been playing. 

Silence settled over the lair as the episode began back up again. After a minute of indecisiveness, Drake leaned on the back of the couch, lingering long enough to watch the episode, too.

When the credits started rolling and the iconic rendition of the theme song played in the background, Honker nudged Gosalyn. “So?” he prompted. “What do you think?”

“That was awesome!” Gosalyn exclaimed. “You’ve officially got me into it.”

“Alright!” Launchpad cheered, high-fiving Honker. “We did it, Honk-man!” 

“Wait, so let me get this straight -” Drake straightened and started numbering off on his fingers. “You found one of my fans in a trash can, brought him back here to meet me, and you’ve somehow got Gosalyn into the old show?” 

“Sounds about right,” Launchpad said. 

_ “Wait!”  _ Honker stood up and stared at the Ratcatcher, now in the lair. “Is that - no way -”

“Yes way!” Launchpad grinned. “Here, I’ll show it to you!”

As the two ran off to the motorcycle, Drake chuckled and then turned back to Gosalyn. Immediately both paused, glanced at the ground, the couch - anything but the other duck - before Gosalyn finally said, “Um, Drake -” as Drake said, “Listen, Gos -”

They both cracked a smile. 

“You go first,” Gosalyn said.

“No, you.” Drake gestured for her to go on.

“Okay.” Gosalyn took a deep breath. “I’m . . . sorry. For almost falling off stuff last night and for, um, being overdramatic.” 

Drake joined her on the couch, sitting next to her. “I’m sorry, too, kid. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. And - besides -” He hesitated. “I . . . may have needed your help tonight.”

Gosalyn’s eyes widened. “Woah. Letting down your ego there?” she teased.

“Don’t mention it,” he muttered. Then he straightened again. “So - no more falling to your death.”

“And no more banning me from fighting crime,” Gosalyn added. 

Drake opened his beak - 

“Unless you take a break, too, dork.” She playfully punched him. “I thought we’d need your help tonight because  _ we  _ thought Honker was a burglar.” 

Drake grinned. “Fair enough. I’m sure between the two of you, you’d be able to convince me to take a break.” He held out a hand. “Shake on it?”

To his surprise, Gosalyn leaned over and threw her arms around him in a hug instead.

He hugged her back.

A few seconds of silence went by, save for the excited voices of Launchpad and Honker several feet away. Then Drake pulled away and smiled slyly. “So, I hear you’re a Darkwing nerd now?”

“I made the mistake of telling them I’d never seen it before.” Gosalyn shook her head. 

“A fit punishment for your crime.”

_ “Crime? _ I’m not the one who dresses up as a cartoon character every night!”

“Says his sidekick.”

Then the computer interjected and they both jumped as she spoke. “This has been incredibly heart-warming, but speaking of crime, there’s a -”

“Let the police handle that one.” Drake rubbed Gosalyn’s head. “I’m taking the rest of the night off.”

“Hey, maybe we can actually get some sleep tonight,” Gosalyn teased. 

“After learning you’re into the Darkwing show now? Absolutely  _ not.” _ Drake grinned and turned to the computer. “W.A.N.D.A., pull up another  _ Darkwing Duck _ episode.” 

Gosalyn leaned over the back of the couch and cupped her hand around her beak. “Hey, nerds!” she called. “We’re watching another episode!”

Soon the four ducks were sitting comfortably together on the couch, with Gosalyn nestled in between Launchpad and Drake. Who knew that maybe - just maybe - a night off had been exactly what she needed? 

Beside her, Launchpad grinned. “Welcome to the Adventure Family, Honker.”

Honker turned to them with an open beak. “Am I a part of your family now?” he whispered.

“Of course!” Gosalyn kicked off her shoes and settled into the couch. “Get used to this, ‘cause we’re gonna do it a lot.” 

“I’ve found my people,” she heard Honker quietly say with excitement.

Gosalyn shook her head to herself, smiling. She caught Drake glancing at her, and in return she snuggled closer to him. He rubbed her head again.

Maybe this Adventure Family thing wasn’t all that bad.


End file.
